Silver Rain

Chapter 34

Olivia knew that their conversation was far from over.

Felix had kept his promise and danced with her for more than two songs, his fingers brushing softly against her open-backed dress.  He kept her by his side for the rest of the night. People whispered and pointed as Felix would make his rounds.

Some of the whispers were harsh, spilling toxic truths about her humanity among them. Felix never had to introduce her, they already knew her as the human girl their alpha carried through the pack house. The human girl who was wrapping them up in an unfamiliar threat.

The nagging voice had been growing louder, its whispers slipping into Olivia's thoughts, fueling her unease. They're watching you, it spoke to her as she moved through the ballroom at Felix's side. Each glance from the pack members felt heavier like they were trying to decide if she truly belonged—or if she was a liability.

She could feel their judgment, the way they assessed her every move. No matter how hard she tried to seem composed, the feeling that she was being weighed against something larger—something she didn't fully understand—was impossible to ignore.

Felix's arm around her waist tightened slightly as if sensing her discomfort. His presence was a constant comfort, but even his steady strength couldn't drown out the voice in her head. The voice that whispered doubts, the one that made her wonder if these people would ever accept her for who she was.

They're assessing you. They don't trust you. They're waiting for you to slip up, the voice hissed again, sharper this time. Stake your own claim.

While she typically didn't care what people thought of her, the voice made it hard to not focus on the obvious. It was as if her feelings were not her own.

Mira approached them suddenly, linking arms around Olivia's and pulling her away from Felix. "It's time," she looked at him with a serious expression. "I'm sure you probably procrastinated on this speech as you have with every other one."

"Well, unfortunately, Mira," Felix said with a small smile, "I have an excuse this time since I've been running around preoccupied trying to protect the pack."

"Yeah, whatever." Mira pushed Felix towards the stage.

Felix chuckled, shaking his head at his sister's insistence, but Olivia noticed the way his gaze softened when he looked back at her. There was something comforting in his easy demeanor, even in the face of Mira's sharpness.

As he left her presence, it felt cold and lonely. Like her security blanket had been ripped away from her. When she first arrived at the ball, she was mostly fine. People would glance in her direction or some would offer her a dance, but since Felix staked his claim on her in the middle of the dance floor, the energy in the room had shifted. The stares had grown sharper, more judgmental, and the whispers became impossible to ignore. With Felix by her side, she had managed to keep her composure, but now that he was on stage, all eyes seemed to turn toward her with renewed scrutiny.

Olivia stood with Mira, trying to appear unaffected, but the weight of the pack's attention made her skin prickle. She caught a few murmurs in the crowd—about her being human, about how unusual it was for Felix to bring someone like her here, about how dangerous she was. The judgment was palpable, and the voice in her head only grew louder, echoing the insecurities she'd been trying to push away.

He's the alpha. They'll never accept someone like you, it whispered again, crueler this time. You don't belong here. Not yet, at least.

"He's always been good at this," Mira whispered to Olivia, sensing her discomfort. But her concern was misplaced. "Even when he's scrambling to get it together last minute. Don't let him fool you."